Christmas Week Challenges
Click on the link below to enjoy some festive maths puzzles!
https://www.mathsweek.ie/2025/00resources/advent-maths-calendar-2025/
Monday December 8th
Junior Infants – Second Class
B&W Santas Workshop spot the difference activity
Third Class – Sixth Class
On a practice flight, the reindeer flew a total of 30 km.
If it took them 15 minutes to fly that distance, what was their average speed?
Give your answer in km/h. Explain how you got your answer.
Monday December 1st
Junior Infants – Second Class
Kate and her brother, Sam, take a snack to school everyday.
Today they find a pot of raisins, a banana and two apples in the kitchen. They choose one item each.
What could Kate and Sam choose?
Can you think of a different combination of two items?
Can you find all the combinations of two items?
How do you know you have got them all?
Third Class – Sixth Class
Dan bought a packet of crisps and an ice cream.
The cost of both of them together is in one of the boxes below.
(You can use the € sign instead of the £ sign.)
Use these clues to find out how much he paid:
- You need more than three coins to make this amount.
- There would be change when using the most valuable coin to buy them.
- The crisps cost more than 50p.
- You could pay without using any copper coins.
- The ice cream costs exactly twice as much as the crisps.
Monday November 24th
Junior Infants – Second Class
Which of the buildings below would fall down if we tried to make them?
Which ones would be unstable and possibly collapse?
Third Class – Sixth Class
Rob and Jennie were making necklaces to sell at the school fair.
They decided to make them very mathematical.
Each necklace was to have eight beads, four of one colour and four of another.
And each had to be symmetrical, like this.
How many different necklaces could they make?
Show your answer.
Monday November 17th
Junior Infants – Second Class
Third Class – Sixth Class
Monday November 10th
Junior Infants – Second Class
Third Class – Sixth Class
Monday November 3rd
Junior Infants – Second Class
Third Class – Sixth Class
What’s in the Box printable sheet
Monday October 20th
Junior Infants – Second Class
Ana and Ross looked in a trunk in the attic. They found old cloaks and gowns, hats and masks.
“We could make costumes up for 
” said Ana.
“I could wear a black cloak, green mask and pointy hat”, said Ana.
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“Look at me in the black cloak and Dracula mask. Put the crown on me please”, said Ross. |
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How many possible costumes could Ross have worn?
Third Class – Sixth Class
Place each of the numbers 1 to 5 in the V shape below so that the two arms of the V have the same total.
When the two arms of the V have the same total, we’ll call it a ‘magic V’.
We’ll call the total of the three numbers in an arm of a magic V the ‘magic total’.
What is the magic total of each ‘arm’ in your magic V?
How many other magic Vs can you find with that same magic total?
How do you know you’ve got them all?